By Jennifer Whitmire, MS, MEd, MH, CHES, NEP
Insulin resistance is one of those topics that people think they understand, until they realize they don’t.
Most of the time, it’s framed as a “diabetes problem” or something that only applies if you eat a lot of sugar, refined carbs, or junk food. If you eat clean, avoid sugar, or follow a low-carb or ketogenic diet, it’s easy to assume insulin resistance doesn’t apply to you. But when it comes to autoimmune disease, insulin resistance is far more important than that.
In autoimmune disease, insulin signaling affects far more than blood sugar alone. It influences inflammatory pathways, immune communication, mitochondrial energy production, and how the body responds to stress. That means insulin resistance can matter even in people who avoid sugar, eat whole foods, or follow low-carb diets.
Understanding insulin sensitivity and why it matters for immune regulation can change how you think about food, fatigue, inflammation, and long-term healing.
What Insulin Actually Does in the Body
Insulin is known as a “blood sugar hormone.” While it does help regulate glucose, its role is much broader.
Insulin is a storage and signaling hormone. It tells cells when energy is available and helps carry nutrients where they need to go. It influences how cells take in glucose, amino acids, and fats. It also plays a role in inflammation, hormone balance, and cellular repair.
When insulin is working well, cells respond efficiently. Glucose moves out of the bloodstream and into cells where it can be used for energy. Blood sugar and energy feel steady, and the immune system receives fewer stress signals.
This state is referred to as insulin sensitivity. Everything is working as it should.
What Insulin Resistance Means
Insulin resistance develops when cells stop responding properly to insulin’s signal.
The pancreas continues releasing insulin, but cells don’t respond as effectively. Glucose stays in the bloodstream longer than it should. Insulin levels remain elevated, and over time, this creates metabolic stress.
Insulin resistance can exist, before blood sugar labs look “abnormal.”
It’s possible to have normal fasting glucose, a normal A1C, and no diagnosis of diabetes or pre-diabetes, and still have insulin resistance at the cellular level.
Several years ago, my doctor told me I had insulin resistance and referred to it as pre-diabetes. Later, a nurse told me that I had misunderstood and said there was no such thing, that you either have diabetes or you don’t.
I hadn’t misunderstood. What I experienced instead was dismissal and shame around something that is very real and very well-documented.
You can have pre-diabetes. It’s also called metabolic dysfunction. No, you don’t have a diabetes diagnosis, but it looks like you’re heading that way. If you think of this as a sign that it’s time to make a change and take the appropriate steps, you can avoid diabetes.
This is a HUGE step in reversing autoimmune disease.
Why Insulin Resistance Is Key in Autoimmune Conditions
Autoimmune disease is already a state of immune dysregulation and chronic inflammation. Insulin resistance adds another layer of stress to that system.
Elevated insulin and unstable glucose increase inflammatory signaling, raise oxidative stress, and interfere with mitochondrial energy production, all of which compound fatigue and immune reactivity.
When blood sugar and insulin are unstable, the body perceives stress. Stress hormones rise, cortisol increases, and the immune system becomes more reactive.
Elevated insulin and glucose instability increase inflammation and oxidative stress, adding another layer of strain to an already activated immune system. This is one reason people with autoimmune disease often have flares, fatigue, or inflammation even when they are avoiding obvious triggers.
How Insulin Resistance and Blood Sugar Are Connected
Blood sugar and insulin resistance are related, but they are not the same thing.
Blood sugar refers to how much glucose is circulating in the bloodstream at a given time. Insulin resistance refers to how responsive cells are to insulin’s signal.
You can have:
– blood sugar that looks “normal”
– insulin levels that are chronically elevated
– cells that are resistant to insulin
This is why understanding blood sugar balance, not just sugar intake, is so important for autoimmune health
“If I Don’t Eat Sugar or Carbs, Do I Still Need to Worry About This?”
This is one of the most common and important questions.
Insulin resistance can still develop even in the absence of dietary sugar. Insulin is released in response to all macronutrients, including protein, and insulin signaling is influenced by fat intake, stress hormones, sleep quality, and inflammation.
Even chronic under-eating can worsen insulin sensitivity by raising cortisol and increasing metabolic stress.
Insulin resistance is not just a food issue. It’s a whole-system issue.
What About Keto or Very Low-Carb Diets?
This is where things get especially confusing.
Very low-carb or keto diets can temporarily lower blood sugar readings, but that does not always mean insulin sensitivity has improved.
In some cases, long-term carbohydrate restriction can lead to physiological insulin resistance, where cells down-regulate glucose uptake, because glucose is rarely present. This can show up as elevated blood sugar after reintroducing carbs, even in people who “eat clean.”
For autoimmune bodies already under stress, extreme dietary restriction can increase cortisol, disrupt thyroid signaling, and worsen fatigue which negatively affects insulin sensitivity.
This does not mean low-carb approaches never have a place. It means they are not automatically protective, and we are all unique. We have to start where you are today.
Signs Insulin Resistance May Be Present (Even Without Sugar Intake)
Insulin resistance can be hard to spot.
Common patterns include fatigue after meals, energy crashes between meals, brain fog, persistent cravings even after being on a “clean” diet for a long time, trouble sleeping, and a wired-but-tired feeling that doesn’t get better with rest. Inflammation that won’t get better.
These are physiological signs. It’s your body crying out for attention and telling you to make a change. Over time, this metabolic stress can show up as persistent exhaustion or autoimmune fatigue, especially in bodies already managing chronic inflammation.
What Improves Insulin Sensitivity
The good news is that insulin sensitivity is highly responsive to lifestyle and nutrition. Improving insulin sensitivity does not require perfection or extreme diets. It requires consistency and stability (safety).
Balanced meals
Meals that combine fiber, protein, and healthy fat help slow glucose absorption and reduce insulin demand.
Adequate nutrition
Under-eating increases stress hormones and worsens insulin signaling. The body needs enough energy to feel safe.
Mineral sufficiency
Magnesium, potassium, and chromium are necessary for insulin signaling. Chronic stress depletes these rapidly.
Movement
Consistent movement improves insulin sensitivity by increasing glucose uptake independent of insulin.
Sleep and stress regulation
Poor sleep and chronic stress impair insulin sensitivity regardless of diet.
Gut health
Gut inflammation and permeability (Leaky gut) increase systemic inflammation, which directly interferes with insulin signaling.
Why This Matters So Much for Autoimmune Healing
Insulin sensitivity creates a metabolic environment that supports immune regulation.
When insulin signaling improves, inflammatory signaling tends to decrease, oxidative stress lowers, mitochondrial energy production becomes more efficient, hormone signaling stabilizes, and immune reactivity calms down.
This doesn’t mean autoimmune disease disappears overnight, but it does show that the body has more capacity to heal.
Insulin sensitivity is not about achieving perfect blood sugar numbers but about creating metabolic safety, so the immune system can stand down.
Practical Action Steps You Can Start Now
You don’t need to overhaul everything at once.
Start here:
- Eat meals with fiber, protein, and fat together
- Avoid long stretches of under-eating (Intermittent fasting may not be safe for you at this time)
- Prioritize mineral-rich foods daily – Eat your leafy greens
- Choose movement that feels supportive and doesn’t add too much stress
- Support sleep before adding supplements
- Focus on blood sugar stability, not cutting more carbs
Small, steady changes create profound shifts over time.
A Message of Hope
Insulin resistance is can be reversed!
The body is incredibly adaptive. When it receives consistent signals of safety, appropriate nutrition, and stability, insulin sensitivity improves, inflammation eases, energy becomes more predictable, and the immune system becomes less reactive.
It’s all about doing what actually supports the body.
An Invitation to Go Deeper
If this article resonated, and you’re ready to support insulin sensitivity, immune balance, and steady energy through food, I would love to welcome you inside The Culinary Healing Circle.
Inside the Circle, we focus on nutrition, metabolic stability, and restoring health without restriction or pressure.
You can learn more and join us at:www.culinaryhealingcircle.com
Your body is responding to its environment, and with the right support, that response can change.
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Wholistic Jen 
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